Broadcom Releases EGL Drivers for Samsung Galaxy Y

A few months back, we talked about how a team of developers at XDA lead by XDA Forum Member arbylaw had contacted Broadcom to ask for proprietary drivers for the GPU used in Samsung Galaxy Y in order to build ROMS for the device with full hardware accelerated graphics support. In response to the request, Broadcom had promised to aid the developers and work with them in reaching a solution. After three and a half months, Broadcom has released the EGL drivers for the device, making it possible to take full advantage of the device’s BCM2763 VideoCore IV GPU in custom ROMs and kernels.

This news is yet another milestone reached by the developer community, after a few previous positiveresponses from other hardware manufacturers. After years of alienating themselves from the enthusiasts, these companies are finally learning it’s a win-win for both if we cooperate.

The Samsung Galaxy Y is an immensely popular device in parts of the developing world such as India, Pakistan, and Indonesia, where the smartphone market is growing at an exponential rate. As an end user, the release of these drivers will mean fully working Android 2.3.7 Gingerbread ROMs (such as CyanogenMod 7.2) that should provide the millions using these phones a better end-user experience. If you are interested in learning more, there is a discussion in the original thread.